KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis moves back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building after an aborted rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-98, the seventh construction fli More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Mission Specialist Leland Melvin tries on the gloves of his launch and entry suit, preparing for launch. The fitting is part of terminal countdown d More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis’s solid rocket boosters trail brilliant flames that light up the clouds of smoke and steam and reflect in the waters Launch Pad 39B at launch. The perfect on More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 39A, the payload canister doors are open to reveal the P1 truss before transfer to the Payload Changeout Room. The P1 truss is the primary payload for Mission S More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour, atop the mobile launcher platform, is hard down on Launch Pad 39A after rolling out overnight. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 8: More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery nears its destination on its rollout to Launch Pad 39B. Discovery rests on top of the mobile launcher platform, which is carried by the crawler-transporte More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A bolt is shown in the lower central part of the photo. It is visible as a dark circle with a shadow surrounding it inside a larger silvery circle. The bolt extends above the surfa More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, sits on launch Pad 39A with the Atlantic Ocean in the background after having traveled 3.4 miles More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crew of mission STS-115 stop to talk to the media after arriving at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility to prepare for a second launch attempt on Sept. 6 to the More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers are installing wiring in Discovery’s cargo bay that will support the addition of an Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) . The OBSS is one More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis inches its way out the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building as it begins rolling out to Launch Pad 39A for the second time. An attempt to roll out on Jan. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Italian-built module, U.S. Node 2, for the International Space Station is offloaded from a Beluga aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The second of three Station connectin More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. --Racing into the night sky atop columns of fire, space shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-123 shows blue cones of light beneath its engines. The shock or mach diamonds are a formation More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After their arrival at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, the crews of mission STS-113 pause for a group photo. From left are STS-113 Commander James Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the P5 truss for mission STS-116 is lowered into the payload canister. The canister will transport the truss to Launch Pad 39B where it More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - STS-112 Pilot Pamela Melroy is ready for her practice run driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier. Melroy and the rest of the crew are at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstrati More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour races into the sky trailing columns of fire from the solid rocket boosters as it begins mission STS-118. The liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on time at 6:3 More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers monitor the progress of Space Shuttle Atlantis as it moves through the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building along the crawlerway toward Launch Pad 39A. First motion out o More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-112 crew pauses for a photo in the White Room during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. Kneeling in front are Mission Specialists Piers Sellers and David Wo More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, secured atop a mobile launch platform, ascends the five percent grade to the top of the hardstand on Launch Pad 39A. The rotating service structure, adjoine More
STS-102 Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas (front, left) and Paul Richards take their seats in the slidewire basket, used for emergency egress from the orbiter and pad. Behind them, other crew members climb into More
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with orbiter Columbia on top takes off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip. In the foreground is another SCA, which brought Atlantis back to KSC from California. Th More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Nearby water reflects the brilliant light of flames beneath space shuttle Discovery as it leaps through the clouds into a blue sky heading for the International Space Station on m More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - External tank No. 123 makes the turn toward the Vehicle Assembly Building after being offloaded from the Pegasus barge in the turn basin at the Launch Complex 39 Area. Once insid More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Amid the glow of lights from the fixed and rotating service structures, Space Shuttle Discovery rests on the hardstand of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after compl More
Catching the glow of the late afternoon sun, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) rolls down the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility as it returns the orbiter Discovery to KSC. The ferry flight started in Cali More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the glow of a setting sun, Space Shuttle Endeavour is revealed after the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure (left) on Launch Pad 39A. At the top of the external tank ca More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia seems to leap from amid the trees as it roars toward space on mission STS-107. Following a flawless and uneventful countdown, liftoff occurred on-time at 10 More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39A, the payload canister with the SPACEHAB Double Module and the Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) inside is lifted off the payload transporter toward the Payload Chang More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The drag chute deployed behind space shuttle Discovery helps slow its smooth landing on Runway 33 of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, completing the 1 More
STS-97 Pilot Mike Bloomfield reaches for the control panel as he settles into his seat in the cockpit on Space Shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B. He and the rest of the crew are taking part in a simulated lau More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, mounted on a mobile launch platform atop a crawler transporter, begins the climb to the top of Launch Pad 39A. First motion of the shuttle out of the Vehi More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians get ready to lower the external tank to be mated with the solid rocket boosters o More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery rolls toward Launch Pad 39B. Launch Pad 39A is in the background. The shuttle rests on a mobile launcher platform that sits atop a crawler-transporter. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Discovery backs out of the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 for the short rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion was at 9:23 p.m. Oct. 31. In the VA More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, or RSPF, the solid rocket booster segment is ready for propellant grain inspection required as part of safety analysis. The booster More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At SPACEHAB, in Cape Canaveral, the STS-101 crew inspect equipment and payload for their mission. From left to right are Mission Specialist Edward Tsang Lu, Mary Ellen Weber (Ph.D. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis streaks into the sky on mission STS-106 after a perfect on-time launch at 8:45:47 a.m. EDT. Blue mach diamonds are barely visible behind the main engine nozz More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Dawn’s early light creates a powerful silhouette of the Space Shuttle Discovery on its mobile launcher platform as it creeps to Launch Pad 39B. Discovery is scheduled to launch Oct More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Mission Specialist John Herrington is at the wheel of an M-113 armored personnel carrier during emergency egress training at the pad. He is accompanied by (left) Mission Sp More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- As part of Crew Equipment Interface Test activities, STS-113 Mission Specialists John Herrington (left) and Michael Lopez-Alegria (center) practice working with equipment in Endeav More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 watch the progress of the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) as it is transferred to the payload bay of the orbiter Discovery. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a solid rocket booster segment is being lifted by a 325-ton crane for stacking. The booster is part of the s More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- This closeup view shows the water flooding the mobile launcher platform below Space Shuttle Discovery as it lifts off Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-116. Discovery lifted off from More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Mission Specialist Stanley Love awaits the final adjustments on his launch and entry suit, in astronaut crew quarters. The STS-122 crew is prepari More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour soars into a twilight sky on mission STS-108, the second launch attempt over two days. Liftoff occurred at 5:19:28 p.m. EST (22:19.28 GMT). Endeavour will d More
STS-106 Pilot Scott D. Altman is helped with his launch and entry suit by suit technicians in the White Room before entering Space Shuttle Atlantis. The perfect on-time liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-106 oc More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- External tank No. 124 is moved from its checkout cell in the Vehicle Assembly Building to high bay 1 where it will be mated with the solid rocket boosters for mission STS-117. Th More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Under the watchful eyes of the media, an upper-level weather balloon begins its lift into the sky. The release of the balloon at the Cape Canaveral weather station in Florida was More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At SPACEHAB, in Cape Canaveral, technicians help STS-101 Mission Specialist Edward Tsang Lu become familiar with equipment for the mission. Lu and other members of the crew are tak More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, the orbiter Atlantis is suspended by a sling. The orbiter will be raised to vertical and lifted up into high bay 1. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Mission Specialist John B. Herrington (left) and Pilot Paul Lockhart shake hands following their arrival at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility to prepare for launch. STS-113 i More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers on the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility maneuver ground support equipment that will be used to lift the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) remote manipulator s More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-113 Commander James Wetherbee (left) andPilot Paul Lockhart (right) look over equipment inside Endeavour as part of Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. The primary payload More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore (third from left) and Ralph Roe (fourth from left), with the Orbiter Work Group, JSC, examine a piece of debris from Columbia. A Columbia Res More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly works with equipment that will be on the mission. The crew is at Kennedy to take part in More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The plume of smoke grows behind Space Shuttle Discovery as it hurtles into space on mission STS-105. Liftoff occurred on time at 5:10:14 p.m. EDT. Besides the Shuttle crew of four, More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on Launch Pad 39B watch closely as Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors begin to close. Inside the payload bay is the orbiter's cargo, the 17-and-a-half-ton P3/P4 tru More
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Edwards Air Force Base in California, space shuttle Atlantis is fitted with a tail cone, which protects the aft engine area and provides a more efficient aeronautical dimension during More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Technicians at Launch Pad 39A begin removing thermal blankets and panels from a site near the tail of Space Shuttle Atlantis in order to reach the power drive unit (PDU) inside. Th More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Students show off one of the experiments that will fly in SPACEHAB on Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107. SPACEHAB's complement of commercial experiments includes six educa More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, workers attach an overhead crane to Harmony, the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 connecting module for the International Space Station. The mod More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel puts on his helmet, part of his launch and entry suit, in astronaut crew quarters. Schlegel is with the European S More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Processing for mission STS-107 continues in the Operations and Checkout Building as the tunnel that will connect Space Shuttle Columbia's crew compartment to the SPACEHAB module is More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, Mission STS-120 Pilot George Zamka (left) and Commander Pam Melroy begin to unveil the Node 2 module's new name, Harmony, as Russ Romanel More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Atlantis is towed toward the Orbiter Processing Facility from the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. The orbiter will undergo processing for its next launch, missio More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After rollback of the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Atlantis shines in the late afternoon sun. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the White Room on Launch Pad 39B, STS-121 Mission Specialist Michael Fossum enjoys a portable cooling unit keeping him cool while waiting to enter Space Shuttle Discovery. The c More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Trailing a column of fire, space shuttle Discovery hurtles toward space on mission STS-120 to the International Space Station as it breaks free from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kenne More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sitting on the mobile launcher platform, Space Shuttle Discovery rolls toward Launch Pad 39B via the crawler transporter. First motion of the shuttle from NASA's Vehicle Assemb More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As black clouds gather overhead, the orbiter Discovery arrives at the Orbiter Processing Facility after a two-mile tow from NASA's Shuttle Landing Facility. Umbilical lines for co More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The crew members of mission STS-120 arrive at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility aboard T-38 jet aircraft to take part in terminal countdown demonstration test a More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, external tank No. 119 is suspended in a vertical position. The tank will lifted into high bay 3 fo More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mission Specialist Piers Sellers is happy to be making a third launch attempt on mission STS-121. Here, he fixes one of his gloves during suitup before heading to Launch Pad 39B. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Fiery clouds of smoke stream across Launch Pad 39A as Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off on mission STS-118. The liftoff was on time at 6:36 p.m. EDT. The mission is the 22nd shu More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour and the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) start backing through the gate to Launch Pad 39B after a cracked cleat was discovered on the crawler-transporter. Wor More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Twin columns of fire propel Space Shuttle Atlantis into a clear blue sky after liftoff from Launch Pad 39B. At left is the fixed service structure, topped by the lightning mast. More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the waning light, space shuttle Discovery is towed along a two-mile tow-way to the Orbital Processing Facility, or OPF, where processing Discovery for another flight begins. T More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Looking into the open payload bay doors of Space Shuttle Endeavour, workers conclude closeouts. At center foreground is the orbital docking system. The red ring at top compris More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Expedition 3 crew poses for a group photo one day after their return to Earth from their 129-day stay on the International Space Station. From left are Vladimir Dezhurov, More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the p5 truss for mission STS-116 is being readied for a move to the payload canister. The truss will be transported to Launch Pad 39B wher More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-115 Commander Brent Jett is ready to practice driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier. Behind him are seen Mission Specialists Daniel Burbank and Steven MacLean, who repres More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis leaps off the Launch Pad 39A trailing a twin streams of flame from its solid rocket boosters to light up the pre-dawn sky on mission STS-101. Liftoff occurr More
At the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-97 Mission Specialist Marc Garneau, who is with the Canadian Space Agency, climbs down from a T-38 jet aircraft that brought him to KSC from Johnson Space Center. He and the More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Standing next to the nose of Atlantis, returned from its successful mission STS-110 to the International Space Station, Commander Michael Bloomfield talks with NASA Administrator More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On a cloudy Florida day, Space Shuttle Atlantis awaits launch atop a mobile launch platform at Launch Pad 39A. At the right of the pad is the 290-foot tall, 300,000-gallon water ta More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Viewed from behind inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, space shuttle Discovery is lifted into the upper regions for transfer to high bay 1. In the bay, Discovery will be mated More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, a crane lifts external tank No. 120 into the upper regions. The tank is being lifted for a move into a checkout cell. The tank will be More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia, atop its Mobile Launcher Platform, inches its way along the path to Launch Pad 39A. Columbia is scheduled to be launched Feb. 28 on mission STS-109, a Hubbl More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Pilot Alan Poindexter, strapped in his seat in Atlantis' cockpit, signals that he is ready to proceed with the simulated launch countdown. The exe More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The NASA logo is place on the side of the U.S. Laboratory Destiny. The key U.S. element of the International Space Station, Destiny is in the Space Station Processing Facility. La More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- This closeup shows Space Shuttle Discovery as it travels to Launch Pad 39B. Underneath Discovery is the Mobile Launcher Platform, a two-story movable launch base. Part of the MPLM More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In preparation for the July 1 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121, the Launch Pad 39B rotating service structure (RSS) enclosing the shuttle rolls away. Above the More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Shuttle Maine Engine Shop, workers are installing an engine controller in one of the three main engines of the orbiter Discovery. The controller is an electronics pac More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, STS-121 Pilot Mark Kelly and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson are joined by two shuttle technicians as they work More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After traveling nearly 5.3 million miles on mission STS-118, Endeavour touches down on runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Space Shuttle Endeavour crew, led by Commander More
The orbiter Discovery is lifted by cranes in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building. It will next be lifted into a vertical position and into high bay 1 for mating with its solid rocket boosters an More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers watch as the U.S. Laboratory Destiny, a component of the International Space Station, is lowered into a payload canister for transfer to the Operations and Checkout Buildin More
KENNEDY SPACE STATION, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour hurtles into a clear blue sky from Launch Pad 39A on mission STS-100. On the horizon is the Atlantic Ocean. Liftoff of the ninth flight to the Internationa More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA -- In the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C), the U.S. Lab, a component of the International Space Station, sits on a rotation and handling fixture before being raised to vertical. More